CHURCH AND WAR

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2669, 15 January 1916, Page 9

CHURCH AND WAR

"DO NOT FORGET ARMENIA" ONE OF THE MOST TERRIBLE THINCS IN THE WAR. In the course of his sermon at Westminster Chapel recently Dr. Catt\pbell Morgan said:—"As this long and bitter struggle develops > tho underlying conceptions inspiring it are being forced out into ever clearer manifestations. Every hour is revealing to us tho appalling folly and wickedness of tho massed conceptions against which we at this time are definitely in arms. I hear people talk of the atrocities of this hour—Belgium, Serbia, the Lusitania, Edith Cavell—all horrible revelations of a spirit of unutterable evil. But do not forget Armenia. Ono of tho most terrible things in the war is Armenia; and do not forget that the Central Power among our enemies permitted this, and if you and I have no hatred for it wo arc not Christian men and women. "It is well that in the presence of the hour iu which wo live wo should consider the true Christian temper, for I believe two perils confront us at this moment: On tho ono hand, wo are threatened by a weak, sentimental, false interpretation of tho Christian mind, that declares that we ought to be content to take things as they aro; this is not an interpretation of the Christian mind at all. On the other hand, there is a danger of a bitterness of hate that is contrary to the Christian mind. Between these two perils we need to guard ourselves. The Christian temper is that of a fulness of a lovo. of God for humanity, involving hatred of all that insulte God by injuring His humanity." In conclusion, Dr. Morgan said: "The Christian temper must stand firm and true in national thinking and national life, insisting upon it that no terms can be made with any nation, or any system of government, that is guilty of any sin such as that of Armenia. I declare to you in the midst of this city that I cannot conceive that the Christian Church can ever give its consent to any Government to consider any terms of peace with the German Emperor. It seems to mo that this nation at least will have to say we cannot ■ discuss terms of peace with the present constitution of an empiro that has violated every sanction of humanity and trodden under foot all things bright and beautiful. (Applause.) That to mis is the Christian temper, born of a passionate love for humanity. It is tho vision and power of God's love for humanity, for humanity is such that wo must hati> with His hatred, not the individuals, but the conceptions and philosophies, and if Governments abandon themselves to these conceptions and philosophies, _and - identify themselves with_ these things, then we must be in conflict with them also until the thing is ended in the name of Truth, Eight, and an Infinite Compassion."

THE BISHOP OF LONDON AND THE CHILDREN. "WE WANT YOUR HELP." The Bishop of London' has written the following personal letter to the children of his diocese:— v "My Dear Children, —We want your help. Oui' bravo sailors and soldiers ale fighting w> make the,world a better place and to keep alive the flame of Christian faith, hope, and lovs. But we cannot win the war without the help of the children. Will you help? "All boys want to he soldiers, and all girls nurses, but you are too .young at present to be either. You can Jielp, however, in another way. You can pray. We want a praying army of children at home to help the sailors and soldiers who are fighting; to make the wounded well; to bring home safe, if it be God's Will, fathers, and brothers; to take care of the children who have lost their homes: to bring victory and peace at last. Never forgot that, as wo" say so often in the Psalms, 'The Lord sittoth above the water-flood; the Lord remaineth a King for ever,' and that if wo fight our hardest and do our best it is God Who will decide the issue of this war. "You can help to bring victory and peace nearer by your prayers, bo listen and look for a notice telling yon of a Special Prayer Service for, Children, and go and join the praying army of the children of the Lord. Go regularly every week to do your part in the war, and expect that when we come to Augiist 4, 1916, the world will look very different from what it does to-day.— Your affectionate Father in God. "A. F. London. "Fulham Palace, November. 1915." HEROIC DEVOTION.

THE DEATH OF FATHER GTVYNN. Lieut. Boyd-Rochefort, V.C., pays the following tribute to the late Father Gwynn's woik with the troops:— "With deep regret I learned of the death of a groat friend ot mine, Father Gwynn. He was a brave and noble soldier and priest. _ I had the happiness of meeting him just three days before ha met his death. He will be sadly missed, but, thank God, we have stiil many other brave clergymen out i.ln;ro, Catholic and Protestant, unceasing in their zeal and sacririce and atteufcion to the troops." . Father Gwynn died on October I'.' ot wounds which he received while in a dugout with the colonel. The following account of his heroic devotion to duty during the fighting round Hill' 70 •is given by an Irish guardsman. 'Hundreds of our lads dropped. Father Gwynn was undismayed. He seemed to be all over the place trying to give the last sacrament to the dying. Onco I thought he was buried alive, for a shell exploded within a-few' yards' of where he was, and the next moment I saw nothing but a great licsp of earth. The plight of the w-undo J concealed beneath *>as harrowing. Out, of the ground came cries of 'Father, Father, Fatter,' frojn those who were in their death agonies. Then as if by a miracle; Father Gwynn was seen to fight his way through the earth. Ho must have been severely injured, but he went on blessing the wounded and hearing their confessions. The lust I saw of him was kneeling by the tide of a Gorman soldier. It was a scene to make you cry. The shells continued to, explode about .the wounded, but the.y could not stop a little English 'Driest from doing his duty even to a (lying German." '

A SCENE IN OLD HARFLEUR, baptist chaplain blesses FRENCH SOLDIER, There are few more historic spots in France than old Harfleur—once a seaport,. now miles from the sea—where Henry V landed with his English troops 1" , 0" occasion some 104 l'reiicli soldiers performed deeds of heroism that arc remembered to this day. Even in the mid'st of a great war these heroes of 500 years ago are not forgotten, and when tho anniversary services took place a fortnight a qO one of the English Baptist chaplains, stationed at Havre, went to witness thein. In a letter to his congrcgatioir'at West Norwood Rev. D. J. Hiley says: "As I came out of tho church I was accosted by a French boy, who had just reached military age. He had his .full military equipment, and, taking mo for an English Roman Catho Eiifilish^

and with tears streaming from his sweet young eyes: 'Monsieur, I am going to the front; will you Wees me? 1 I said 'Yes, my boy,' and as he knelt down in the street I put my hands on his head and prayed that God' would preserve and keep him. The street was full of soldiers, who all uncovered their heads, and even the tramcar stopped— for we were right in the middle of. the track—while I commended him to God. This little soldier, smiling through his tears, went away comforted, and I felt what a high privilege had) been mine that day."—"Christian World." MINISTERS' SONS AT THE FRONT. At a recruiting meeting in the Synod Hall, Edinburgh, Principal Whyte said that he had four sons and one daughter in the service, and if ho had liacf ten sons they should all bo at their call that afternoon. At a recruiting meeting heldJ in Edinburgh the llev. Professor W. P. Patereon 6aid that there were many evidences of the existence of the selfish jtlesiffo that olflier people's sons and brothers should go to the posts of danger, and that one's ■ own should share the fmits of their work, but not their dangers. All his throe sons had joined the Army—one had fallen at Neuve Chapelle, one had been wounded, and the other was at present where the fighting was fiercest. But it was better to mourn a son who had died , for freedom and liberty than to have him skulking at home. DR. KELMAN AND CONSCRIPTION. Dr. Kelman, speaking in Edinburgh, said that the British conscience had remained firm and unwavering in its absolute assurance that in tins cauße they were on tho side of righteousness, and that there was no other course open to an honourable nation. There was no doubt about that, and there was no room for disputo about it. There was but a little time before compulsory service was to come if thejr did not hinder it. If compulsory service should come, then to the end of time it would not be them nor would it be the Government, but it would just be those who hung back who had brought it to the country. A CHAPLAIN'S BRAVERY. A chaplain on tho Western front writes in a letter to the "Times" "One of our chaplains did a splendid thing. He went out after the wounded with the bearers right up to the German wire. There were two, however, dying who could not be got away, and begged him not to leave tnem. 'Of course, I won't,' he said, and stayed there all night; but they died. He ought to get a V.C."

A SOLDIER'S EPITAPH. The Dean of St. Paul's has tie following lofcter in the "Guardian" "Some of the soldiers in Flanders ; scratched the following epitaph on the ] rough wooden cross which marks the 1 . j grave of a comrade: — _ i " 'Poor o'd Bill, he left this place ! With smoking gun and smiling face; | But Bill won't care if some good chap ' "Will follow up and fill the gap.' ! "The lines are delightfully English in' i their combination of rough and cheery j stoicism with tender and a little shame- j faced sympathy. I wonder how Simon- j ides would have written that soldier's ; epitaph. _ The sentiment or the Eng- ! lish lines is worthy of his best skill. It is a long time since I last wrote Greek j verses, but I have made the attempt."' j FOR THOSE IN PERIL IN THE AIR. J . Captain S. C. Grune, of the 3rd Bed- I fordshire Regiment, sends.these verses | to the "Spectator," saying that his ; mother has written, them to supply a ) hymn for those in peril in the air—to j be sung to the -tune of . "Eternal 1 Father":— Father, in Thine 1 almighty care- _! We leave the squadrons of the air, ■() i Alike when 'neath the blazing sun Their day's work only just begun, As in ttio dark and cheerless night Homeward they wing their weary. fligKt: Thou who dost note each sparrow's fall, i Hear these strange birds whene'er they. : call, ' i Give to thorn nerves of tempered steel, ' ; That as they fly and as they wheel I Now here, now there, in. graceful curve, ; From safety's path they may. not j . swerve. ' . i Now, Father, mindful of Thy love, These birds we leave in sky above. Should Azrael meet them on their way ; And night cloud their resplendent day, Grant their last flight be - near Thy •throne, _ ' i Their earth wings changed for ; Heaven's own. ' . :i